This invention relates to a portable external cover apparatus and method. In particular, the invention relates to a portable external cover apparatus and method for vehicles with at least one window.
Vehicles of all types, including in particular automobiles and trucks, have windows. Typically there are, at a minimum, front and rear windows as well as side windows. When it comes to protecting vehicle windows from sunlight, manufacturers provide minimal help. Usually, vehicles come equipped merely with interior sun visors. Some vehicles come with window tinting. In hot, sunny climates, these manufacturer equipped vehicles are found wanting.
A cottage industry of sorts has sprung up for the purpose of reducing the impact of light on unprotected vehicle windows. The primary focus of these devices is to reduce the temperature rise in automobiles parked in the direct sunlight. Some of these devices are permanent in nature, such as micro-louvers permanently fixed to the inside of the windows (such as the side windows of large station wagons, trucks, and the like). There are others that are more temporary in design and are installed, such as with suction cups, to the inside of side windows either in a fixed position or in a movable shade that rolls up and down like a home window shade.
Perhaps the most common prior art directed to solving the problem of heating by light directed through windows of vehicles are portable shades that are installed against the inside of the windshield of the vehicle and retained there by folding down the windshield sun visors of the automobile. These devices typically are accordion type foldable panels of lightweight reflective material.
Virtually all of the devices known in the art are installed inside the automobile. Their effectiveness in preventing heating of the interior of vehicles is greatly reduced by virtue of the fact that the sun""s heat still enters the vehicle. That is, these prior art interior devices have reflective surfaces that attempt to reflect the radiation back out through the same window through which it has entered. There are problems with this. First of all, the sun""s rays include longer wavelengths which carry the majority of thermal heat. Except for that which is directly reflected from a very xe2x80x9cshinyxe2x80x9d surface, which is mostly the shorter wavelengths that carry relatively little heat, prior art devices actually trap heat inside the automobile which heats up the air inside and the shade material as well. This is the phenomenon commonly known as the xe2x80x9cgreenhouse effect.xe2x80x9d
Another problem with prior art devices is that most automobiles, as previously mentioned, have at least some tinting designed to absorb the sun""s heat to prevent it from entering the car. The undesirable side effect is that the windshield glass itself heats up correspondingly. This is not a problem, typically, when the car is moving. However, when the car is not moving, the glass gets very hot and tinting actually adds to the heating of the air inside.
Thus, there is a need in the art for providing an apparatus and method for covering windows on vehicles such that, among other things, light is prevented from entering the vehicle and heating the air inside.
Accordingly, the portable external cover apparatus and method of the present invention includes, in a vehicle with at least one window, a portable external cover apparatus, the apparatus including a central connection section. A securing device is connected to the central connection section for securing the central connection section to the vehicle. Reinforcement is provided in the securing device for preventing the removal of the securing device from the vehicle. At least one cover extension is connected to the central connection section for covering the window. A collapsible, shape maintaining rim is attached to the cover extension.
In another aspect of the invention, the securing device further includes a pair of oppositely positioned securing straps with first and second ends. The first ends are attached to the central connection section and the second ends are conformed to removably attach to each other. In another aspect of the invention, the reinforcement is attached to one of the second ends, runs through the central connection section and terminates in the other of the second ends. In a further aspect of the invention, removably attachable attachment devices are provided on the second ends for joining the second ends together. In another aspect of the invention, the reinforcement is metal and in another aspect, the reinforcement is piano wire.
In a still further aspect of the invention, secondary attachment devices are connected to the cover extension for removably attaching the cover extension to the vehicle. In one aspect of the invention, secondary attachment devices include suction devices and in another aspect, the secondary attachment device includes magnetic devices.
In a further aspect of the invention, the vehicle includes a number of windows and a corresponding number of cover extensions connected to the central connection section and the cover extensions are conformed to cover these windows as well. In another aspect of the invention, reflection material is added to the cover extension and, in still another aspect of the invention, reflection material is added to the entire cover apparatus. In a further aspect of the invention, waterproof material is added to the entire cover apparatus.
In another preferred embodiment, in an automobile/truck with front, rear and side windows, an external cover apparatus for the automobile/truck includes a central connection section. A securing device is connected to the central connection section, the securing device including two securing arms with first and second ends wherein the first ends are connected to the central connection section and the second ends are conformed to removably attach to each other. Reinforcement is provided in the securing device conformed to prevent unauthorized removal of the securing device from the automobile/truck. Front and rear window cover extensions are connected to the central connection section for covering the front and rear windows. A collapsible, shape maintaining rim is attached to the front and rear window cover extensions.
In one aspect of this invention, side window cover extensions are connected to the central connection section. In another aspect of the invention, magnets are added to the front and rear window extensions and conformed to contact metal parts of the automobile/truck. In another aspect of the invention, suction cups are provided in the front and rear window extensions and conformed to contact the automobile/truck. In a further aspect of the invention, the apparatus is conformed to reflect light and repel moisture.
In another embodiment of the invention, in an automobile/truck with windows and an exterior roof, a method for covering the exterior side of the windows includes the steps of providing a central cover connection section. A pair of oppositely positioned attachment straps are connected by a first attached end to the central cover connection section. Reinforcement is added to the attachment straps. A number of window cover extensions are connected to the central cover connection section so as to cover all the windows on the automobile/truck. A collapsible, shape maintaining rim is attached to the window cover extensions. The central cover connection section is then placed on the exterior roof of the automobile/truck. The second free ends of the attachment straps are connected together inside the automobile/truck. The exteriors of the windows are then covered with the window cover extensions.
In further aspects of this invention, reflective and waterproof materials are added to the window cover extensions and secondary attachment devices are added to the window cover extensions, selected from a group including magnets and suction cups, and the secondary attachment devices are connected to the exterior of the automobile/truck.